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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · track · press · file · wake · dip · cabinet · drill

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. press — a publisher
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. file — a document
  7. wake — a trail
  8. track — a path
  9. clip — to cut
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. clip — a video
  12. file — a line of people
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. dip — to sink
  19. press — newspapers
  20. track — to keep track
  21. press — to push
  22. track — a song
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. file — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com